New Prehistoric Gallery Opens at British Museum

On 16 April 2002 the new prehistory gallery at the British Museum was formally opened. Entitled Prehistory: Objects of Power, the gallery serves as an introduction to the museum's Old World prehistoric exhibits and should eventually form the orientation point for a wide and comprehensive presentation of prehistory over several galleries on the first floor.

As the name implies, the focus is upon materials and how these were shaped and used, technically and socially, in prehistory. Its mission is reflected quite clearly in its icon - the Middle Bronze Age gold 'cape' from Mold, Flintshire, which proudly shines in the centre of the gallery.

Photographs by permission of the British Museum. Copyright 2002. (1) Jadeite polished axe, Canterbury, Kent; 4000-3300 BC; PS 257143, (2) Lockington gold armlets, Leicestershire; 2100-1900 BC; PS 289318, (3) Dunmanway bronze horn, Ireland; 1000-800 BC; PS 257085, (4) Oxborough ceremonial bronze dirk, Norfolk; 1500-1300 BC; PS 284439, (5) Edmonsham flint handaxe, Dorset, 1.5 million years old, PS 355177

The gallery was conceived well over two years ago, originally to open at the same time as the Great Court, and represents the fruit of the hard labours of the museum's curators, assistants, conservators, designers and education specialists. The range of professionals present at the opening - the staff involved in its conception, academics, field archaeologists and media - attests to the wide, collective involvement in the acquisition, interpretation and presentation of national collections. Barry Cunliffe, in his introductory talk, likened the new gallery to a Roman quadrifons arch, in that it serves as an orientation point from which a number of directions may be taken. His more informal analogy was with hors d'oeuvres, in that the objects displayed here present a small taster of what is to come and more galleries are expected alongside those of the existing Bronze and Iron Ages.

Space has been earmarked for specific Palaeolithic/Mesolithic and Neolithic galleries, although it is a cause for concern that the Museum has yet to secure sponsorship to bring about the completion of the prehistoric displays. Pressure should indeed be kept up to ensure the eventual completion of these, especially as the museum's collections of the archaeology of pre-farming communities are some of the best in the world.

As with the course of human development there is no escape from prehistory, and ascending the main staircase one comes straight into the objects of power gallery. Here, in the first display case, one is immediately confronted by exemplars of the African and European Palaeolithic. East African Oldowan lithics jostle for position alongside African and European handaxes including the one found by John Frere at Hoxne in 1790. The first case then takes us through a small but fairly representative sample of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic lithics, including clear examples of Levallois technology and typological gems such as Solutrean leafpoints. It culminates with some of the Museum's famed Upper Palaeolithic organics collection, including some of the better examples of mobilliary art from La Madeleine, Montastruc and elsewhere, and Magdalenian, Azilian and Mesolithic harpoons in a fairly representative display of bone, antler and ivory working.

The later prehistoric periods are well represented in the areas of lithics (particularly Neolithic and Bronze Age arrowheads and polished stone axes and maceheads), ceramics (a fine display of various Beakers and food vessels), metalwork (including a good number of axes and spearheads from the Arreton Down Bronze Age hoard), stonework (including the Folkton chalk 'drums' and other Neolithic examples such as stone 'balls') and old favourites such as the Barnack Beaker burial.

It is important to remember that this is an introductory, sampler gallery. Bronze and Iron Age galleries already exist in the museum, which radiate off of the Objects of Power room. Readers of Before Farming should take a keen interest in the potential Palaeolithic and Mesolithic galleries, which at present exist only on paper.

Reported by:

Paul Pettitt
paul.pettitt@keble.oxford.ac.uk

Keble College
Oxford OX1 3PG

© Western Academic & Specialist Press Ltd 2002